


Revelations

by RivanWarrioress



Series: Welcome to Gotham [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 07:05:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13676712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RivanWarrioress/pseuds/RivanWarrioress
Summary: A quiet night alone leads to unexpected revelations about Jason's history





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I own no familiar/recognizable characters, places, ect.

Cupping your mug of hot chocolate with both hands, you brought the mug to your mouth to take a sip, smiling contentedly to yourself and snuggled a little more beneath the blanket you had draped over you, returning your attention to the TV screen, and continuing to watch Game of Thrones.  It was unseasonably cold for this time of year in Gotham, and outside your window heavy rain plummeted towards the ground below, pooling in puddles on the ground and muffling the usual noises of the city at night.

 

Draining your mug of Hot Chocolate, you set it down on the side table beside your couch, your gaze lingering on the framed photograph you had placed there, of you and your boyfriend, Jason Todd.  It had been taken by your boss last year, at an event for children at the local library that your boss had helped organize, and both you and Jason had volunteered to help out at.

 

Although you had known Jason for almost eighteen months, since just after you had arrived in Gotham, you had only been formally dating for just under a year.  Of course, before that you would spend hours at your work together talking about books with your boss, or just with each other.  It was in one of those chats that Jason nervously asked you if you wanted to continue the conversation at a café at some point.  You had agreed, and for a few weeks you would meet up every few days to grab a drink together and talk.  Then you progressed to going out for dinner, or for lunch.  Then there was a few trips to the movies that got thrown into the mix.  Your favorite way to spend time together, however, was the nights when Jason would come over to your apartment and you would either get some form of take out, or you would cook a meal together, and then watch TV, or some movies, cuddled on the couch together

 

You were happy with Jason.  He didn’t push for things you weren’t ready for, and you could see how much he loved you.  Whenever you were together you made sure you were holding his hand, or you were in contact with him in some way.  Jason, although he would never admit to it, loved you being in physical contact with him, even if it was just you holding his hand when you were out, or you playing with the white streak in his hair when you were alone.  When he was in contact with you Jason’s shoulder’s seemed to relax, and he lost the tense look he often carried.

 

The only worry you had was Jason’s work.  Even after all this time you had never found out what it was, exactly, Jason did for a living.  You knew he worked at nighttime, as he’d told you as such, and your dates were always finished by ten thirty, and Jason never stayed overnight at your apartment, although he did occasionally fall asleep when you were cuddled up together watching TV (either on your bed or on the couch).  You also knew that it was a dangerous job, as you had lost count of the number of times you had seen Jason nursing some sort of injury.  You has numerous theories as to what Jason’s secret profession was, but Jason had told you not to ask, and you respected his right to privacy, although that didn’t stop you from wondering.  Your most probable theory was that Jason was a cage fighter in one of Gotham’s numerous illegal cage fighting clubs, but they ranged from Jason being in an illegal gang, to being a bouncer at a club, to being a security guard at one of Gotham’s banks that seemed to be constantly getting broken into (you weren’t so sure about that one as the security guards at the banks seemed to end up dead, according to the newspapers, not beaten up, like Jason was so frequently.)

 

You hated it when Jason was injured, although he never complained to you, trying to tough out his injuries.  You got the impression that when he was young Jason spent most of his time alone.  You didn’t know much about his family.  You knew that his father had been abusive, and had died in prison when Jason was young, and that Jason’s stepmother had turned to drugs, and died of an overdose.  Jason never talked about his biological mother, although he did sometimes talk about his adopted family.  He didn’t go into detail, but you did know that Jason was the second oldest, and he had brothers, although he wasn’t close to any of them.  You had tried to encourage him to get in touch with them, especially around the holiday season, but Jason had declined, and you hadn’t pushed the situation.

 

Tearing your gaze away from the photograph you resumed watching the TV, wishing that Jason was there, wrapping his arms around you from behind, pressing kisses to the top of your head.  It was something that Jason loved doing when you were watching TV together, and you loved the feeling the gesture gave you, it never failed in making you feel safe and loved.

 

You weren’t sure how long you had been sitting and watching the drama play out on the TV in front of you, when you were distracted by a soft tapping noise.  You frowned, looking around curiously to find the source of the noise, and let out a gasp of surprise.

 

Outside your window, crouched on the fire escape, was the Red Hood, his gloved fingers tapping against the glass.  You leapt to your feet and hurried to the window, fumbling with the lock until you eventually pulled the window open.  You hadn’t seen the vigilante since the night he’d rescued you as you walked home from work, but his helmet was unmistakable.

 

The moment the window was open the vigilante tumbled through and landed on the floor with a groan, and you frowned, carefully closing the window again and relocking it, before you edged around the vigilante laying on your floor and, as a precaution, grabbed a knife from your kitchen.

 

“What are you doing here?” you asked.  The Red Hood looked up at you, before he raised his shaking hand and removed his helmet.  You lowered the knife in shock as the helmet clattered to the floor, taking in the sight of the man kneeling before you.

 

“No way,” you whispered to yourself as the Red Hood removed the domino mask he wore beneath his helmet, although you had recognized him even while wearing it.

 

Your kitchen knife fell to the floor with a clatter, falling from your limp fingers, and you ran the few steps forward towards where Jason was, falling to your knees beside him.

 

“Surprise,” Jason choked out with a weak smile, although the effect was spoiled b the blood on his lips and in his mouth.

 

“Jason…oh, wow… everything about you just became unbelievably clear.”

 

“Yeah, to be honest I’m surprised you didn’t figure it out earlier.”

 

“To be honest, I had convinced myself that you were in some sort of cage fighting rink,” you confessed with a weak smile.  Jason huffed, as if he were trying to laugh, but it ended up being more of a groan.  The smile fell rapidly from your face.

 

“Jay…what’s wrong?’

 

In reply, Jason sat up a little straighter, and you gasped as you saw how his hand, which he had kept pressed to his stomach, was coated in bright blood.  Jason’s leather jacket was similarly drenched.

 

“Oh my God, that’s a lot of blood.  You…you need a hospital, a doctor…something.”

 

“I’ve got you,” Jason told you.  You shook your head, rising to your feet and running and fetching some towels, before you returned to Jason’s side, sitting beside him so that Jason could lean against you as you use the towels to apply pressure to the injury.

 

“This…I don’t know how to fix this,” you told him, “what even is this?”

 

“I…I got stabbed,” Jason coughed out, flecks of blood coming out of his mouth.  You used an extra towel to wipe his face, alarmed at how pale he was beneath the blood.

 

“Jay, you’re coughing up blood.”

 

“I…I know.  No hospitals though, too many questions.  I need you to…to ring Dickiebird.  Here,” Jason reached into a pocket and pulled out his phone, unlocking it before he passed it to you.  You shifted so that you could continue to keep pressure on Jason’s injury, while navigating Jason’s phone with the other hand.  You were starting to flick through Jason’s contacts through, when you felt Jason go limp against you.

 

“Jason?” you asked, giving him a gentle shake, “Jay?”

 

Jason didn’t move, and your heart began pounding in your chest.  You dropped Jason’s phone and focused on your boyfriend, carefully lowering him to the ground, so that he was lying flat on the floor as you continued to rouse him.  Your hands shaking, you felt at his neck for a pulse, and heavily exhaled when you felt the thrum of blood moving beneath your fingers.  You crouched over him, your free hand resting on his chest, while your cheek was just above his mouth, and swallowed in relief as you felt Jason’s breath against your cheek, you hand moving up and down which each breath Jason took, although it sounded strained.

 

You reached for Jason’s phone, and continued to go through his contacts until you found the entry named Dickiebird, and you hit on it, lifting the phone to your ear.

 

“Come on, pick up pick up, please pick up, you whispered under your breath as you pushed down on the towel, already stained with Jason’s blood.  The phone rang a few times, before a voice answered.

 

“Hey Jaybird, what’s up?”

 

“Hello?” You choked out.

 

“Who is this?  How did you get this phone?” the voice on the other end of the line replied, obviously suspicious.

 

“Jason told me to call you, please, you’ve got to help…there’s blood everywhere, and he said he got stabbed, and now he’s unconscious, and he won’t wake up, and I don’t know what to do to help him.”

 

“Whoa, ok, ok, slow down, now, where are you?”

 

You replied with your address, and you could hear the person on the other end of the line moving and taking to someone else.

 

“Ok, we’re on our way.  We’ll be five minutes, max.  Do you know CPR?”

 

You sniffed, tears pouring down your face, “yes,” you replied.

 

“Ok, that’s good, is he breathing?”

 

You checked again, “yes,” you replied, “but he was coughing up a little bit of blood before he passed out.”

 

“Damn, alright, not good, but could be much worse.  Does he have a pulse?”

 

You nodded, putting the phone on speaker so your hands would be free, and resting your hand on Jason’s neck, feeling his pulse.

 

“Mam?”

 

You blinked, having forgotten that the man on the phone couldn’t see you, and therefore hadn’t seen your nod, “Oh yeah, he has a pulse.”

 

“Ok, don’t need to worry about CPR yet then, just keep an eye on him and be ready if he stops breathing.  We’ll be there soon.” 

 

With that, the man hung up, and you were left staring at the phone.

 

“Jason, come on, please don’t die on me,” you begged, “Please wake up.”

 

You had no idea how long you were kneeling on the floor beside Jason’s prone form as you tried to stop the bleeding from his abdomen.  You noticed blood pooling on the flor around Jaosn’s shoulder, and pulled away his jacket to find another wound, although this one looked more like bullet wounds, if the crime procedurals you and Jason sometimes watched together were accurate.  You placed another towel on the gunshot wound and pushed down on it, praying that somebody would arrive soon to help.  You were tempted to just call 911, but Jason’s request not to involve hospitals stilled your hand.

 

A loud knocking on your door made you jump violently and you leapt to your feet, hesitating before leaving Jason’s side, although you picked up your kitchen knife along the way as you headed to the door, looking through the peephole.  Your mouth dropped open when you saw Batman, Nightwing, and Red Robin all standing outside your apartment.  You looked over your shoulder at Jason, before you unlocked the door and pulled it open, belatedly realizing that your hands and top were all covered in blood.

 

“He’s in here,” you choked out, stepping aside and letting the vigilante trio into your apartment, before hastily shutting the door again before one of your neighbors got curious.  You hurried back to Jason’s side as Batman and Nightwing made short work of removing Jason’s leather jacket and body armor.

 

“Do you know him?” Nightwing asked as they worked. 

 

You nodded, “he’s my boyfriend, we’ve been together nearly a year.”

 

A stunned silence met your comment as Nightwing and Red Robin both stared at you in shock.

 

Nightwing let out a low whistle, “Jaybird, you been holding out on us,” he playfully scolded Jason, “When were you going to tell us you had a girlfriend?”

 

“I’m sure he’ll be ok,” Red Robin told you gently, patting you gently on your shoulder, “Jason…he’s tough.”

 

You nodded, tears pouring down your face as Batman and Nightwing worked together to examine Jason’s wounds.

 

“We can’t do much for him here, we need to get him back to the cave,” Batman announced, and you sobbed at his words.

 

“Can…can I come?”

 

Batman turned towards you for a moment, the first time he’d really looked at you, and shook his head, although he did soften his tone slightly.

 

“Not now, but we might be able to arrange…something, later.”

 

You nodded, stepping out of the way as Batman gathered Jason into his arms and lifted him, as if he were no more than a child.  You could only watch as Batman hurried out of your apartment, Red Robin close behind him.  You listened to the sound of their footsteps as they faded. 

 

Nightwing placed his hand on you shoulder, “did you know...about what he was doing?’

 

“No,” you sobbed, shaking your head, “I didn’t know.  I should have guessed, I was so stupid not to figure it out.”

 

“Hey…hey, it’s not your fault.  He’s good at hiding things like that, we were all trained to hide it, don’t blame yourself.”

 

“He saved my life, once.  I…I was attacked when I was walking home from work one night, and he saved me,” you told Nightwing, “The funny thing was, we’d just spent most of the afternoon together talking about books.”

 

Nightwing gave a small laugh, “Sounds like Jay, he always loved books.  Look, I better go and help…look after him.  Give me your number, and I can keep you up to date on how he’s going.”

 

“Of course,” you nodded, and you wrote your name and phone number on the back of an old, empty envelope, before handing it to the vigilante.

 

“Thanks,” he smiled reassuringly, “I’ll make sure to keep you in the loop,” he added, before he turned and headed out the open door, shutting it carefully behind him.

 

You stood silently, unmoving for a few moments, before your legs buckled beneath you and you fell to your knees, sobbing, the memory of Jason, sprawled unconscious on the floor of your apartment, seared into your memory.


	2. Chapter 2

Unable to bring yourself to even attempt sleep, you scrubbed the floors of your apartment, getting rid of the bloodstains as best you could.  Then, incapable of stoping yourself, you pulled on one of Jason’s leather jackets, and went up the stairs to the roof access of your apartment building.  Few people ever went up here, although on numerous occasions, during the summer, you and Jason had often made an easy to transport dinner, and then gone up to the roof together, and had a picnic.  Those nights had been among your favorite of your dates with Jason.

 

Now, you sat up there alone, Jason’s jacket wrapped around you, as tears leaked from your eyes, oblivious to the rain that fell around you, drenching your hair and seeping into your clothing, the chill dampness soon soaking through to your skin.  Your phone, at least, was marginally protected, tucked in a pocket of Jason’s jacket, with your hand wrapped around it, just in case somebody rang to update you on how Jason was doing.

 

There was a part of you that wondered if you would ever see Jason again.  You remembered the bat on the front of Jason’s armor, and knew after living in Gotham for over a year, that The Red Hood was a member of “team Batman,” so you figured that Batman and his associates would look after Jason, but you were scared that even Batman wouldn’t be able to save him, that Jason was too badly hurt, and he’d lost too much blood.  Would the superheroes take him away and deal with his body in their own, secretive way, or would you be allowed to be there when they buried him, or cremated him, or whatever it was they did with their dead?     

 

You didn’t know what Jason’s wishes were.  The one time you had brought up the topic of cemeteries you had taken one look at Jason’s face, and swiftly changed the topic.  You wondered now if Jason’s reaction that day had been related to his history as the Red Hood.

 

You had guessed that Jason had gone through a traumatic past.  On the few nights when he’d slept at your apartment he’d woken up with nightmares every single time.  Even when he was awake sometimes you would say something, or he would see something, and he would space out, sometimes for a few seconds, but occasionally it was a minute or longer.  A few months ago the circus had come through town, and your boss had invited you both along, but Jason had declined, admitting that night, when it was just the two of you, that he was scared of clowns.  After everything you had heard since moving to Gotham about the Joker, you weren’t surprised.  Fear of clowns was actually quite common in Gotham, you late found out, thanks to the internet.

 

Sitting on the roof of your building, you looked at the skyline of the city, the sirens and traffic noise drifting upwards from the streets below.  How the hell had you not realized that Jason was a Vigilante…a superhero?  It was so obvious in hindsight.

 

“Please…please be ok, Jason,” you whispered into the night.

 

DCDCDCDCDC

 

Bruce rubbed his hand wearily over his face as he looked at Jason, sleeping soundly in the med bay of the Batcave.  Bruce was sitting in the chair positioned by Jason’s bed, watching over his second eldest son as he slept, the younger man attached to a bag of blood to replenish what was lost.  It was the second bag Jason had gone through since Bruce had carried him into the med bay and lowered him to the bed.  A tube was still down Jason’s throat, helping Jason breathe by pretty much doing all the work for him.

 

In addition to the stab wound to his stomach, they’d also found a bullet wound to Jason’s upper chest, just below his right collarbone, although the billet itself had passed the whole way through Jason’s body.  An x-ray revealed cracked and broken ribs, one of which had left a small puncture in Jason’s lung.

 

It, by far, wasn’t the worse injury Jason had received (Bruce was actively not trying to think about that), but the injuries were still life threatening, and Jason had stopped breathing not long after arriving at the cave.  That had been when they’d intubated him to get him breathing again.  Not long after that his blood pressure had dropped dramatically, and Bruce had been mentally preparing himself to start CPR, and Alfred had started prepping the defibrillator, and even had the pads positioned on Jason’s chest.  Luckily, it hadn’t been needed, and they’d managed to keep him stabilized until Dr. Leslie Thompkins could arrive at perform the surgery that Jason’s needed, to patch him up. 

 

That had been a few hours ago, and Leslie had gone upstairs for a cup of tea with Alfred.  Dick had finally been persuaded to go upstairs to get some sleep, as had Tim (well, who knew if Tim was actually sleeping or not) and Damian. 

 

Batman had made a point of knowing where Jason’s safe houses were, as well as his apartment.  He had a feeling Jason knew this, or at least suspected, but it never came up in conversation.  None of them were close to where they’d found Jason, and Jason wouldn’t have been in any condition to get himself that far.  Of course, Jason still had his comms, and his phone, and could have called them directly for help, but that still would have left him waiting to be picked up in an alleyway, and that was a dangerous place to be, especially injured and vulnerable and unable to defend yourself.  Batman was proud that Jason, notoriously untrusting towards others, had sought out a friend of his, seeking the safety of her apartment, rather than staying on the streets or rooftops.  Bruce felt a shudder go down his spine at the thought of what might have happened if Jason hadn’t gone to his friend.

 

Jason would probably be dead, again.  Lying alone until somebody came across him and raised the alarm.  At the mere thought Bruce reached out and wrapped his hand around Jason’s.

 

“I’ve already lost you once, I can’t lose you again, Jay.”

 

“Bruce?”

 

Bruce sighed, having not heard Dick’s cat like footsteps approaching.

 

“I thought you were going to try and sleep.”

 

“I couldn’t,” Dick admitted, drawing level with Bruce and looking down at Jayson, “I kept thinking of him lying there, on his girlfriend’s floor.”

 

“You think she was involved?”

 

“No, no way, she was too cut up about it to have done it.  Besides, she would have had more blood on her, and the only blood on the floor was around him, and a couple of drops around the window.”

 

Bruce nodded in agreement, having never suspected Jason’s apparent girlfriend in the attack.

 

“So…did you know?  About Jason’s girlfriend, I mean?” Dick asked curiously.  Bruce looked up at Dick with raised eyebrows.

 

“I am the least likely person that Jason would ever tell about a personal matter like that.”

 

Dick cringed, ‘Yeah, good point”

 

“I might have noticed a few years ago, when I kept a closer eye on him, but since he’s stopped killing I’ve kept more of a distance,” Bruce added.

 

“I wondered,” Dick admitted, “he…he seemed happier, this past year.  I mean, he still kept things to himself, but…he seemed more relaxed and less…aggressive.  I wondered if he’d made some new friends…or a romantic partner, but at the same time I thought it might have just been time related, you know, him healing after…everything.”

 

Bruce nodded, but said nothing.  Dick was right, Jason had seemed happier and less…angry…with the world this last year, but Bruce hadn’t really taken much notice…another way he’d failed Jason. 

 

“Do…do you think he’ll introduce us, at some point.”

 

Bruce sighed, “We did meet her, tonight” he told his oldest.

 

Dick rolled his eyes, “You know that doesn’t count.  You were in protective Bat Dad mode over Jason. Do you even know what her name is, because she never actually told you guys?”

 

“I was going to look it up from her apartment,” Bruce admitted.  Dick sighed and held out the piece of paper that you had written your name and phone number on.

 

“Meet, Y/N, Jason’s mystery girlfriend.”

 

Bruce lifted his eyebrow curiously, and Dick jerked the piece of paper back.

 

“Seriously…You think I would try and hit on Jay’s girlfriend while he was, you know, bleeding out all over the    place?  I would never do that to him.  I told her I would keep her up to date on how he was going.”

 

Wearily Bruce leaned back in his seat and rubbed his hand over his face.  It was something that Dick would do.  Bruce himself had been too focused on Jason to worry about the girl who had, apparently, been in a relationship with his second eldest son.

 

“He’ll be ok, won’t he?” Dick asked, a hint of uncertainty creeping into his voice.  Bruce blinked and looked up at Dick.  The look on Dick’s face betrayed his emotions, and Bruce was reminded of how broken Dick had been when he’d learned of Jason’s death.

 

“You heard Dr. Tompkins,” Bruce reminded Dick gently, “he’s strong, he’ll recover.”

 

Dick visibly relaxed leaning against the wall of the med bay, “I don’t want to have to tell her that he’s gone.”

 

Bruce remained thoughtfully silent.  While it wasn’t the first time one of the boys had gotten involved with someone romantically, it had been a long time since a civilian had been involved and he’d had to worry about a situation like this. 

 

“You can tell her how he’s going, she already knows who he is,” he told Dick, although he knew that Dick would have done it, even if Bruce had said no.  Dick was far better at dealing with people than Bruce had ever been.

 

“Bruce…what happened to him wasn’t your fault, you know that.  Things are getting better between us and him, but he’s an adult now, he does do his own thing.  You can’t protect him every minute of every day, if you tried it would only drive him away.”

 

Bruce sighed and nodded, bowing his head and continuing his vigil at Jason’s bedside.  Dick watched him, before he backed away, leaving Bruce to his brooding.  The only thing that would snap Bruce out of his funk would be Jason waking up, and that needed time.

 

DCDCDCDCDC

 

You jolted awake as the shrill ringing of your phone dragged you from your sleep.  You had gone back indoors just as the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, and you had been shivering from the freezing cold that came from being outside in the snow for an extended period of time.  A quick phone call to your boss had given you the day off, as you knew that you would be virtually useless at workafter a night of no sleep.

 

Seeing no point in coming up with a lie, you had told your boss a part of the truth…that Jason had been attacked while coming home from work, and you had been up all night worrying about him.  You hadn’t talked about how Jason had been attacked, nor the fact that he was wearing his Red Hood costume at the time.  Your boss, however, hadn’t asked questions and had instead given you the week off to look after Jason, and had passed on their best wishes to him. 

 

It had made a weak smile cross your face as you remembered how much your boss liked Jason, and had been the one to introduce the pair of you.

 

After the conversation with your boss, you had tried to warm up with a hot shower, and then collapsed into bed, burrowing under the warm covers, and wishing that Jason was there to wrap his arms around you.  You must have dozed off, because the next thing you knew your phone was ringing loudly beside your head, where you had placed it, and a few hours had passed.

 

You fumbled for your phone, swiping at the screen and lifting it to you ear without looking at who it was.

 

“Hello?” you asked urgently.

 

“Hi, Y/N?” a male voice replied, and you recognized the voice as Nightwing’s from the previous night.

 

“Yes,”

 

“It’s Nightwing,” Nightwing confirmed your suspicions, “I’m just ringing to update you on Jason’s condition.”

 

“Is he ok?” you asked, your heart in your throat. 

 

“Yeah… he’s still sleeping, but his vital signs look really good.  Just after we got him back to the cave his blood pressure dropped really low, but we managed to get him stabilized, and then a doctor friend of ours patched him up really well.”

 

“And…and he’ll be ok?” you questioned anxiously.

 

“Yeah, give him a week or two and he’ll be back to normal.  He heals fast, he has for a long time.”

                                                                                                                              

“Can...Can I see him?”

 

Nightwing sighed, “I can’t make any promises on that one, Y/N, but I’ll see what I can do.  I’ll have a word with the big guy.”

 

“Thank you” you replied, not knowing what else to say.

 

“Hey, we’ll work something out, don’t worry,” Nightwing told you reassuringly, “and even if it going to be a little while before he’s well enough to move or that it looks like you won’t be able to come and see him I promise that once he wakes up you guys will be able to talk on the phone, or even video call each other.”

 

You nodded, tears rolling down your face and you weren’t able to hold in the small sniffles you were making.

 

“Hey, it’s ok, don’t cry,” Nightwing soothed, “he’ll be up and about in no time.  Why don’t you tell me a little about what you two lovebirds have been up to?  Jason’s never really been one for romance, I want to know what shenanigans you two kids have been getting into since getting together.”      

 

The next time you looked at the clock you were alarmed to realize that over an hour had passed since you had begun to tell Nightwing about the things you and Jason had done together since you had begun dating, the places that he had taken you to, the things he had made you, the little moments the pair of you had shared.  Nightwing had patiently listened throughout it all, sometimes sounding emotional himself as he had asked you questions and encouraged you to continue talking about things.

 

“I, um, should probably let you keep going, I hadn’t realized it was getting so late,” you told Nightwing.  There was a pause before Nightwing spoke again, and you wondered if Nightwing was checking to see what the time was.

 

‘Ah, yeah…sorry about that, Y/N, I didn’t mean to keep you talking for so long.  I’ll give you a call alter on to update you on how Jason’s going.  He might have woken up by then, so you guys might be able to talk.

 

“I’d like that,” you replied, already missing the sound of Jason’s voice.

 

“I’ll see what I can do, don’t worry Y/N, Jason’s is going to be fine.  Bye.” Nightwing told you optimistically.

 

“Bye” you replied, before hanging up.  While you were still worried about Jason, you were a little calmer now.  He was still alive, and from what Nightwing had said it looked like he was going to make a full recovery.  Still, you wished you could have seen Jason, or at least heard his voice.

 

Maybe later on, when Nightwing called again…


	3. Chapter 3

You clutched the can of pepper spray tightly in your hand as you looked up and down the alleyway nervously biting you lip fearfully as you checked, for about the hundredth time, that nobody was approaching.  With no-one in sight, you glanced at your watch yet again, confirming that there was still another five minutes until you were supposed to be picked up.

 

You had never felt so vulnerable out on the streets of Gotham.  Ever since you had met the Red Hood, back before you and Jason were dating, you had felt a sense of security, knowing that somebody like the Red Hood was watching over Gotham’s streets.  Now, knowing that the Red Hood was out of commission, you felt scared.

 

Maybe it had to do with the very fresh memory of Jason lying on the floor of your apartment, bleeding out, and obviously badly injured while out protecting Gotham.  Maybe it had brought home the fact of how dangerous Gotham really was. A shiver ran down your spine, and you inched a little closer to the brick wall of the alley, pulling your coat a little tighter around your chilled body.  Snow was falling over Gotham again, although it was lighter than it had been the previous night.  Still, the snow muffled the noise of the city, and you weren’t certain of your ability to hear the footsteps if someone approached you.

 

You jumped, startled, when you heard the noise of a car approaching, hitting your head against the wall of the alleyway.  You flinched at the pain, bringing your hand up to rub at the back of your head, watching wearily at the same time as a sleek black car turned into the alleyway.  Your hand dropped back your side as you recognized the Batmobile.  You’d never seen it before, but you knew it on sight.  Batman’s car was nearly as much of a legend in Gotham as the man himself.

 

The car gently rolled down the alleyway, stopping beside you.  The driver’s side door opened, and none other than Batman stepped out.  You swallowed nervously, knowing that Jason, being the Red Hood, must know Batman reasonably well (although you were familiar enough with Gotham’s crime stats to know that there was a key difference in their crime fighting strategy…being that the Red Hood used Guns did kill people, although it had been quite some time since the last death attributed to Red Hood)

 

“Hi…is…is Red Hood ok?” you asked shyly, figuring that it would be better to use code names.  Batman tilted his head in your direction, before giving you a single nod and tossing something towards you.  Unprepared for it, you fumbled the catch.  Luckily it was nothing fragile, and you hurriedly picked it up off the ground where it had fallen, finding a black hood.

 

“Get into the car and put that on,” Batman explained, his voice calmer than it had been the previous night, “I’m going to take you to him.”

 

Despite the feeling in your gut, telling you that getting into a car with a stranger was a VERY bad idea, you nodded.  Batman flicked a switch on the driver’s side door, and you stepped back as the passenger’s side door opened in front of you.  Looking nervously up and down the alleyway, you swallowed nervously, before getting into the car, keeping your eyes lowered as you fumbled with the hood, before you pulled it over your head.  Your vision was completely obstructed, although you were surprised to find that you were able to breathe through the material easily.

 

“Are you ok?” Batman asked, and you heard the driver’s seat squeak slightly and the rustling of Batman’s cape as he reentered the vehicle,

 

You nodded in reply, “yes, I’m ok.” You were surprised by how clear your voice sounded, how the hood didn’t muffle your voice.

 

“If you become uncomfortable let me know, this isn’t meant to be uncomfortable for you.”

 

“I get it, you can’t let me know where your secret base is.”

 

“Yes, but it’s for your protection to.  If someone…the wrong someone, saw you in the car with me it might make you a target.”

 

You blinked, having not thought about it like that before.  She supposed that was why they wore masks, not just to protect their identity, but to protect those they loved as well.

 

“Have you known Jay for long?” you asked when you felt the Batmobile rumble beneath you and begin to accelerate.  Batman turned out of the alleyway, and you didn’t even bother paying attention to counting directions, you didn’t know Gotham well enough to keep track, and you didn’t really care where Batman’s secret lair was.  As long as Jason was there it could be at Arkham and you wouldn’t mind. 

 

“Since he was young,” Batman replied, “Younger than Red Robin is now.”

 

You nodded, leaning back in the car seat and noting to yourself how comfortable they were.

 

“What was he like, back then…he never talks about his childhood?”

 

Batman hesitated, “He…he was full of life,” he answered eventually, “and he tended towards being stubborn, a lot of the time.”

 

You nodded, having noticed that, from time to time, Jason demonstrated a little stubbornness.

 

“He loved reading,” Batman added, breaking the silence of the car.  Even though you couldn’t see anything you turned your head towards him.

 

“He still does,” you offered with a smile, “that’s how we met.  I work in a bookshop and he came in looking to replace his supply of Shakespeare.  My boss already knew him, and introduced us.”

 

You weren’t certain, but you swore you heard Batman give a soft huff of laughter.

 

“Shakespeare was always one of his favorites.” 

  

There pair of you fell into a comfortable silence as you wound your way through the city.  You were certasin that Batman was taking you on a random, roundabout route towards his secret lair to throw you off, but eventually you felt the car begin to slow beneath you.

 

“We’re almost there.” Batman told you as you shifted in the seat, “Only a few more minutes.”

 

‘And then I can see Jason?” you asked.

 

“And then you can see Jason,” Batman confirmed.  You sat up a little straighter in your chair and waited as the car slowed to a stop, and you felt the engine stop, the gentle rumbling of the car stopping.  You startled as you felt a hand on your shoulder, before stilling as you felt the hands working the hood off your head.  A strand of your hair fell forwards, and you sucked in a breath brushing the stand back, before you looked around. 

 

Through the front windshield of the Batmobile you could see a large, underground cavern, filled with all sorts of technology and trophies and mementos of Batman’s long career fighting crime in Gotham.

 

Nightwing was approaching the car, and he opened the passenger’s side door for you, offering you his hand.  You took it and let him help you from the car. 

 

“This way, Y/N, Batman gestured, having also gotten out.  Nightwing fell into step beside you, and the pair of you followed Batman towards a corner of the cave surrounded by medical equipment…obviously some sort of medical bay.

 

The moment you lay eyes on Jason you let out an involuntary gasp and covered your mouth with your hands, which had begun to shake. 

 

Jason lay on his back, a blanket covering his legs and chest, with his arms resting on top of the covers, although you could see various tubes and wires emerging from beneath the covering.  Jason’s head was cushioned by a clean, white pillow, his dark hair mussed.  You itched to reach out and brush back the white locks of hair that had fallen forward onto Jason’s face, but you were too scared to, frightened that even the gentlest of touches would break him.

 

You startled when a hand rested on your shoulder, although a quick glance told you it was only Nightwing.

 

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” he told you gently, “I know how hard it is to see him like this…how scary it is, but he’s tough, and he’s past the worst of it now.”

 

Batman grimly nodded in agreement, and you slowly and hesitantly stepped forward and sat on the very edge of Jason’s bed, before reaching out and brushing your fingers against his gently.

 

“I’ll leave you to it,” batman murmured, before slipping away silently.  Nightwing chuckled and shook his head fondly at the older man.

 

“Don’t mind him, he told you, “he’s just allergic to emotions and feelings.  If he stayed much longer with you being all heart eyes over Jay we would have needed to break out the Zyrtec.

 

You huffed out a soft laugh and Nightwing retreated across the cavern to a large computer set up, still close enough to hear if you needed help with something, but far enough away to give the illusion of privacy.  You looked back down at Jason and smiled, occupying yourself with fiddling with the edge of the blanket.  You weren’t sure howl ong, exactly you had been sitting there for when you felt Jason’s fingers flutter against your own, and he stirred.  You slid off the bed, having been warned numerous times by Jason that if he happened to fall asleep near you to not wake him up, or if he started waking up and seemed distressed than to stay well clear.  Back then you had wondered at the warning, but now you knew the truth about what Jason did of a night you understood.  There was no wonder that Jason had nightmares.

 

“Jay?” you tentatively asked, not wanting to move your hand away from his.  In reply Jason’s grip on your fingers tightened slightly and he let out a soft groan, turning his head towards you.

 

“Jay, it’s me, it’s Y/N,” you told him gently, trying to keep your voice gentle and soothing and non-threatening.  Jason groaned again, his eyes fluttering open as he slowly regained consciousness.

 

“Y/N?” he croaked out.  You nodded, tears beginning to roll down your cheeks at the sight of him alive and talking to you, after you had been so worried that he would die from his wounds.  Sniffing, you looked around, spotting a jug of water and a plastic cup sitting on the bedside table.  You busied yourself with pouring Jason some water, before holding the cup out for him.  Jason took a couple of sips, before pulling away.  You set the cup aside and perched back on the edge of the bed.

 

“How are you?” you asked as Jason held your hands in his own.

 

“I’ve been better,” he admitted, ‘on the other hand though I’ve been a hell of a lot worse.  They’ve got me on the good stuff, though, so that’s helping.”

 

You eyed the IV line that fed into the back of Jason’s hand…the one you weren’t holding, and nodded.

 

“Hang on…you’re here,” Jason frowned, “how are you here?”

 

“Batman picked me up in the Batmobile,” you told him, your cheeks coloring, “and let me tell you, I NEVER thought I would ever say that.”

 

“You’re here, though, in the Batcave?  He NEVER lets outsiders into the Batcave,” Jason repeated, “hell, sometimes he’s iffy on me being here.”

 

“I think Nightwing might have had something to do with it,” you suggested, and Jason’s gaze shifted from you, to the other man in the room, resolutely working on the computer and trying to make it look like he wasn’t eavesdropping on your conversation.

 

“Yeah, he probably did.  Golden Boy can convince Bats to do a lot of things he might not normally do.”

 

“I was so scared, Jay…I…I thought you were going to die.  I…I don’t know what I would have done if you had.”

 

“Hey…I’m still here,” Jason told you, tightening his grip on your hand, and pulling you towards him, “come here.”

 

Carefully you moved so you were laying beside Jason on the narrow bed.  Considering Jason’s size, and all the wiring and tubes he was connected to, it was easier said than done.  Jason maneuvered his arm so it was wrapped around your shoulder, leaving his hand to lazily run up and down your arm.

 

“So…you know the truth now, about who I am, about what I do each night,”

 

You nodded, “Yes, I know the truth now.  It does answer a lot of my questions, I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it earlier, to be honest.”

 

Jason huffed out a laugh, although he winced in pain afterwards, as if the movement had hurt him, “And yet, you’re still here with me, laying on a bed with me, knowing what I’ve done.”

 

You bit at your lip before replying, ‘I know that the Red Hood is considered to be dangerous, I know that he’s killed people…but I know that he’s saved a lot of people to.  I know that the number of people he’s saved from murder or rape or abuse or other shit because he’s dealt with the low life that would have done it.  I know that the Red Hood has a reputation for being a little more…aggressive than the other vigilantes in town, but, well, it’s Gotham, and the Red Hood operates in the worst bits.  Besides,” you gently poked Jason in the side, “The Red Hood saved my life not long after we first met.  I haven’t forgotten that night.  Jason…know that it was you under that mask…that only makes me love you even more.  You’re trying to make Gotham a better place for the people, and well, if that means using your fists…or even guns, then, well, who am I to get in the way.”

 

Jason smiled, his eyebrows lifting in surprise, “Really?”   

 

‘Yeah, really…although I am going to have to ask that we try and avoid this kind of situation,” You gestured at Jason., laying injured in bed, “because I honestly don’t want to repeat this experience…ever again.”

 

“Hate to tell you, Y/N,” Jason replied, “but I don’t like your chances.  This kind of thing, it kind of comes in the crime fighting territory, and kind of don’t have the best of records.”

 

You inched a little closed to Jason, “As long as you try to avoid it,” you murmured.  Jason nodded but didn’t say anything.  The two of you lay in silence, with Jason drifting back off to sleep, carried off by the painkillers coursing through his system.  You watched as he slept for a bit, before your own relief at being back at his side, as well as your own lack of sleep, made your own eyes heavy, and you let them slip shut, oblivious to where you were, only that Jason was back beside you.

 

DC DC DC DC DC

 

_A few weeks later…_

 

You knelt on the mattress beside Jason, the both of you safely back in your apartment, looking down at him as he lay on his back, his chest exposed.  You gazed over his body, taking in the scars that marked his skin, now knowing the truth behind how he’d gotten them, through his life as the Red Hood.  You rested your hand on Jason’s abdomen, feeling the toned muscles there, before your ran your hand up, tracing his sternum until you reached his pectorals.  You traced a scar that rested there, giving Jason a questioning glance.

 

“One of Penguin’s goons got a lucky shot,” Jason told you with a shrug, as if being shot in the chest was nothing major.  You nodded and continued.  You didn’t need to ask, but he told you how he got each of his scars.

 

It was only when you reached a scar on his side that Jason tensed up visibly, and you shrank back, giving him some space.  After taking some deep breaths, however, Jason reached out his hand and pulled you down so you were laying beside him.

 

“I…I haven’t always been Red Hood.  I…I used to be Robin.  I was the second Robin.  Nightwing was the first, but when he left Gotham to go to Bludhaven and become Nightwing Batman was alone.  One night he found me stealing the tires off the Batmobile. I was elven, almost twelve, or thereabouts, and he’d parked in Crime Alley and I thought I would make a hell of a lot of money off stealing the Batmobile’s tires.  I’d actually gotten three off already and had them stashed away, and I was working on the fourth when he found me.  I thought he was going to beat me up and take me to the cops.  Instead he took me in and trained me.  I became Robin, although we often argued.  He would say I used too much force when I was fighting, that I was too aggressive, too reckless.  I didn’t listen, although I hated disappointing him.  Anyway, a couple of years after I became Robin I…I went on a solo mission to Sarajevo.  Batman didn’t know, I shouldn’t have even gone, but I thought it was important.  I got caught by the Joker.  He took me to an abandoned warehouse, and beat me with a crowbar.  I’ll never forget what he said that night _‘What hurts more? A? Or B? Forehand? Or backhand?’”_ Jason shuddered, and you hesitantly put your arm over his chest, reassuring him.

 

“He left,” Jason continued after taking a moment to regain his composure, “and I tried to escape. I kept thinking that Batman would come, batman would save me, but I couldn’t just lay there and do nothing.  I was in pretty rough shape… collapsed lung, broken bones, blood everywhere, but I made it to the door, but it was locked, and I turned to see if there was something I could use to pick the lock or force the door open…and that’s when I saw the bomb…It only had a few seconds left.  At…at that point I knew…I was going to die.  Batman wasn’t going to be in time, not for me.  I don’t remember the bomb going off.”

 

You sat up and looked down at Jason, your eyes wide and your brain struggled to comprehend what you had just been told.

 

“Jay, are you…are you saying what I think you’re saying.”

 

“I died when I was fifteen,” Jason nodded, “I was dead for six months when I woke up in my coffin and dug my way out of my grave.  We still don’t know how I was brought back, so don’t ask.  I…I was in bad shape, I had no idea who I was, where I was, I was basically catatonic, just going on instinct.  I was spotted by someone who knew me, someone who wanted to get closer to Batman…a member of the league of assassins.  She knew how to heal me, so she abducted me off the streets of Gotham, and took me back to their base.  Once there, she threw me into a Lazarus pit,” Jason stopped upon seeing the confused look on your face, “a Lazarus pit is basically a pool filled with special healing waters that have the ability to resurrect those who have died, heal injuries, and grant youth, although at a cost.  It leaves its taint on those who are subjected to it.  I had blue eyes, before the pit…and I didn’t have this white bit of hair.  It healed me, to an extent, but at the same time, it drove me mad.  When I got out all I could think about was getting revenge.  I trained for a bit with the league, building my strength back up, although my head was still all over the place, and eventually I left the league, heading for Gotham.  I…I was furious when I discovered that Batman hadn’t killed the Joker, and Batman didn’t approve of my new methods…using guns and killing people.  It took a long time…years, for things to heal between me and the rest of the family.”

 

“Wow,” you exhaled softly, having barely dared to breathe while Jason spoke.  Jason had never told you so much about himself in a single hit before, and you were shocked to learn that Jason had actually died, and been buried for six months, before coming back.

 

“You still want to stay with me, knowing what I am…that technically I’m legally dead?”

 

“I’m not going anywhere,” you told him confidently, “although, if you do go full zombie and start to try and eat my brains I reserve the right to change my mind.”

 

Jason threw back his head and laughed, and you lay back down beside him, snuggling close to his comforting warmth.

 

“I know it must have been hard for you,” you told him, “but I’m glad you were brought back.  If you hadn’t then I would never have met you, and I don’t want to think about what that would mean.”

 

“You would have found someone,” Jason shrugged self deprecatingly.

 

“They wouldn’t have been you though,” you replied, before you kissed Jason, his arms wrapping around you as he held you closed, kissing you back passionately.

 

“When you do things like that I’m glad I came back too.”  


End file.
